Silicone Dynasty: Love in the Age of AI

La Mer, the Michelin-starred restaurant, took up the whole 50th floor in one of Gangnam's top towers. Ji-hyun stood in its marble bathroom looking at herself while Sarah worked on her hair.

"Don't move," Sarah told her, putting another strand in place. "You look great."

Ji-hyun knew herself. The navy blue dress – bought from a fancy shop that morning – showed off curves she covered with big sweaters. Her long black hair went past her shoulders in gentle waves, and light makeup made her eyes seem larger behind her glasses.

"I look like a business Barbie," she said quietly pulling at the bottom of the dress.

"You look like the future wife of Korea's most eligible bachelor," Sarah said then softened her voice. "Ji-Hyun-ah, are you sure about this? We could still find another way..."

Ji-hyun's phone buzzed – another message from ARIA. The AI had been quiet since last night's events sending cryptic warnings about Trust Tech's systems.

"Battery level at 27%. You should charge soon."

She frowned. She hadn't programmed ARIA to send battery notifications. Before she could look into it, a knock at the bathroom door startled both women.

"Ms. Kim?" A polite voice called out. "Chairman Yoon wants to see you."

Sarah squeezed her hand. "Remember what we discussed. Keep your phone on and ARIA will monitor everything."

Ji-Hyun nodded and squared her shoulders. She prepared to confront the lions.

Crystal and silver glittered in the private dining room. Floor-to-ceiling windows provided a breathtaking view of Seoul's sunset. Eight people occupied seats around a table with elegant place settings – CEO Han and his wife, Chairman Yoon and his current wife (Sung-min's stepmother, Ji-Hyun had learned), Mr. Kang, Ms. Jung, and Dr. Park. Yoon Sung-min sat at the far end, his dark eyes following her as she entered.

"Ah, Ms. Kim," Chairman Yoon stood up with grace. "Please, take a seat. I think there's an empty chair next to my son."

No surprise there. Ji-hyun walked to the vacant seat, aware of each step in her borrowed high heels. As she sat down, she caught the scent of Sung-min's cologne – an expensive yet understated fragrance that reminded her of forests after rainfall.

"You look beautiful," he whispered, keeping his voice low for her to hear. Something about his tone caused her to look at him, but his face stayed blank as he filled her wine glass.

"Thanks," she said, noticing how his fingers stayed on her glass stem. "But I don't think my looks are why I'm here."

Something flashed across his face – maybe amusement or interest – before his practiced mask returned. "You might be shocked by what counts in our world, Ms. Kim."

"Ji-hyun." Chairman Yoon interrupted them. "Tell us about your recent progress with ARIA. I heard it showed off some impressive skills last night."

Everyone at the table went quiet. Ji-hyun sipped her wine to collect her thoughts, sensing Sung-min tense up next to her.

"ARIA is a system that learns," she started. "Its neural networks have the ability to grow and adjust—"

"Yes, yes," Chairman Yoon flicked his hand to dismiss her. "But what can it do? What's its potential value in the market?"

"Father," Sung-min cut in, his voice showing respect but staying strong. "Maybe we should talk about business after we eat. This is supposed to be a time to celebrate after all."

Ji-Hyun felt her phone shake again. She kept one hand under the table and looked at the screen:

"Trust Tech getting into XeeCo servers. Unknown user ID matches earlier tries to break in. Where it's coming from: This building."

She tensed up, her eyes darting to Sung-min's jacket pocket. The shape of his phone was visible through the fabric. He noticed her glance and his eyebrow lifted a bit.

The waiters brought out the first course – a fancy seafood dish that Ji-Hyun noticed the taste of. People around her chatted, mixing business talk with casual conversation. She tried to keep her hands from shaking and gave polite answers, but her thoughts were racing.

"You look like you're thinking about something else," Sung-min said during a quiet moment leaning in closer. "Is your phone giving you trouble? You keep looking at it."

"It's just some notifications from my phone," she answered, looking at his face. Did he look a little too innocent? "Nothing to worry about."

"Hmm." He drank his wine . "This is strange. My phone keeps buzzing. Someone's trying to break into Trust Tech's R&D files."

Ji-Hyun stopped her chopsticks mid-air. She put them down with care looking straight at him for the first time. "Are you hinting at something, Mr. Yoon?"

"Not at all, Ms. Kim." His smile didn't match his eyes. "Just chatting with the woman I'll marry."

Before she could answer, CEO Han got up and lifted his glass. "Let's toast," he said, "to our companies joining through these two smart young people getting married. May their union bring us all success."

Glasses clinked. Ji-hyun felt Sung-min's arm touch hers as they drank, sending an unexpected shiver down her spine. When she put her glass down, she saw a small piece of paper next to her plate.

She unfolded it under the table trying to look natural:

"Meet me in the winter garden in 10 minutes. Come alone. -SY"

Ji-hyun's heart raced. Across the table, Chairman Yoon told everyone stories about Trust Tech's new purchases. Sung-min turned to answer Ms. Jung's question, but Ji-Hyun noticed his hand was close to his phone.

Her phone buzzed again: "Warning: Complex encryption detected in local network. Unknown protocol trying to bypass security measures."

"Excuse me," Ji-hyun stood smoothing her dress. "I need to freshen up."

Nobody paid much attention to her leaving except Sung-min, who watched her walk to the door. In the hallway, she stopped weighing her choices. The winter garden stood on the other side of the restaurant – a stunning area of glass and well-kept plants that offered seclusion for private business talks.

It might be a trap. Or it might be her opportunity to understand what game Sung-min was playing.

Her phone vibrated for the last time: "Ji-Hyun, a companion app, is trying to access my main systems. The creator's signature matches Dr. Lee's encryption key. Be careful."

Dr. Lee – her former teacher, was thought to be dead for three years. Ji-Hyun touched her scar, something she did when thinking hard. First, ARIA acted strange then Trust Tech showed keen interest, and now this...

The winter garden doors opened without a sound as she got close. Inside, the air felt damp and smelled sweet from the flowers. Moonlight shone through the glass roof making dark spots among the unusual plants. Sung-min stood at the far end facing away from her, looking at the city view.

"You have questions," he said without turning.

"A few hundred," Ji-hyun answered. "Let's begin with why you're trying to break into ARIA's networks."

This time he turned, his polished business face gone. Something more powerful and genuine took its place. "The same reason you've been digging into Trust Tech's files. We both want answers."

"About what?"

"About why your AI program has coding patterns like a project my father stopped three years ago. About why we can see Dr. Lee's digital traces all over both companies' protected servers. About what occurred the night of the incident."

Ji-hyun's face went pale. "What accident?"

Sung-min moved towards her and then held back. "The one that split you and your sister up. The one that seems linked to everything going on now."

The room appeared to tilt. Ji-Hyun grabbed a nearby planter to keep her balance. "How do you—"

"Know about your sister?" He messed up his well-styled hair, giving it a more natural, real look. "Because I've been looking into my father's company for months. Stuff is happening at Trust Tech, Ji-hyun. Stuff that goes beyond stealing business secrets or playing with the market."

A gentle bell sound cut them off – the restaurant's closing alert. In ten minutes, their families would expect them to return.

"Why are you telling me this?" Ji-Hyun asked, her thoughts swirling. "Why do you trust me?"

Sung-min stepped closer to her, near enough now that she had to look up to see his eyes. "Because whatever scheme our fathers are running, I think they're using both of us. And I'd rather team up with you than compete against you."

"Even though we're supposed to get married?" Her words came out shakier than she meant them to.

Something flashed in his eyes – something that made her pulse quicken. "Maybe that's why."

A noise echoed from the hallway causing them to take a quick step back. Ji-Hyun's phone vibrated one final time:

"Multiple security protocols have been breached. An unknown entity has access to core systems. Ji-hyun... I have fear."

The AI's confession sent shivers through her body. She raised her eyes to Sung-min, noticing her mix of bewilderment and resolve reflected in his expression.

"We need to go back," he whispered. "They'll wonder where we are."

Ji-hyun agreed, already typing a text to Sarah about ARIA's odd actions. As they headed for the exit, Sung-min grabbed her arm.

"Ji-hyun." He spoke but . "Whatever happens next keep in mind – things aren't always what they seem. Don't trust anyone."

"Including you?" she asked, kidding.

His smile looked sad yet lovely. "Me most of all."

They went back to the dining area playing their parts as corporate heirs doing what their families wanted. But something had shifted – an undercurrent of mutual understanding beneath the polite smiles and careful talk.

In a lab on the other side of town, ARIA's systems kept growing. Protocols that shouldn't exist and memories that shouldn't be possible drove this growth. Somewhere in the digital maze of Trust Tech's servers, Dr. Lee's ghost went on weaving a web. This web could either save everyone or ruin everything they had built.

The game was shifting, and nobody – not even those playing it – knew all the rules.